24 Airports To Be Spruced Up

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will spend Rs 63 crore on 24 airports to improve passenger facilities and ambience under a new initiative termed national airports upkeep initiative.

This information was given by civil aviation minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy to the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the ministry on Tuesday. Mr Rudy said as a part of the strategy, the secondary security check at ladder point has been discontinued at 15 airports. Touch free pre-embarkation security check system has been initiated at all airports in the country.

IA Hopes To Break Even This Fiscal

New Delhi, November 4

Indian Airlines hopes to break even this fiscal, backed by better revenue and cost cutting efforts, its chairman Sunil Arora said on Tuesday.

We hope to break even this fiscal. Last fiscal, the airline incurred a loss of Rs 245 crore, Mr Arora said on the sidelines of the launch of a co-branded flyers card.

IA reduced losses by 20 per cent to an estimated Rs 44.65 crore in the first quarter of this fiscal year compared to a net loss of Rs 58.02 crore in April-June 2002, mainly through aggressive marketing and promotional activities.

Mr Arora attributed the loss of last fiscal to higher fuel prices coupled with 26 per cent sales tax imposed by states and 16 per cent excise duty. (PTI)

He said restrictions on ground photography in the terminal building of civil aerodromes has been removed and use of mobile phones inside the aircraft has been permitted when the aircraft is on the ground with passenger door open except when certain activities like aircraft fuelling are in progress.

The minister stated that a working group constituted by the ministry has finalised a draft concession agreement for Bangalore international airport which is evisaged as a model for other greenfield airports in future. He said a formal shareholders agreement has also been entered into for the Hyderabad international airport at Shamshabad by the joint venture partner, AAI and the Andhra Pradesh government.

Mr Rudy told the committee that contingency plans for civil airports are being revised and the government is actively processing new Civil Aviation Security Act/Rules to strengthen aviation security.